Make Your Own Beeswax Candles

I have always loved candles. I remember being in the sixth grade, and we were all OBSESSED with candles. Gift shops that had harp music softly playing, and miniature bear figurines on the glass shelves – that was our candle shopping territory.

And don’t EVEN get me started on the friendship candles (with the buried charm somewhere in the wax). Those were our favourites. Meaning… we were paying almost $20 for candles as birthday gifts. And then… when we were lucky enough to receive one of these magical and treasure-hiding candles, we shrieked with joy!

What’s even more interesting to note? Candles that are made with paraffin and chemical scents aren’t super healthy for us. Especially when we do things like, say, light them on fire.

I did a bit of research and learned that beeswax candles were the way to go when it comes to candles. And beeswax can be bought in big bricks. I got mine from Amazon (and this is very much an affiliate link, just to be honest here), but you can also find beeswax locally and from some craft shops.

Beeswax naturally purifies the air around us. It does not burn and leave soot in the air. You will see soot from many candles (it’s the black smoke that trails from the flame), and this stuff is NOT good for us. Beeswax is also naturally scented, and does not aggravate sensitive noses and allergies.

I’m converted. Beeswax candles for everyone!

Amazon also sold me the majority of my candle-making gear. This candy thermometer and these long wicks were both very inexpensive (affiliate link alert here too!). I chose longer wicks because I knew I’d have to tie them to something in order to have straightly-set wicks in their jars. And you can always trim them shorter; you can’t trim wicks longer.

I did a bit of research and stumbled upon Heather’s blog, Mommypotamus. She made beeswax candles and informed me of two things:

1) I probably could have bought cotton wicks, if I wanted to be the best crunchy crafter-mama ever. But I bought something called a “natural wick”. It seems to work fine, but you guys can decide for yourselves.

2) Beeswax burns very hot. It’s got a higher melting point than paraffin, but as a result, it gets SUPER hot and can sometimes cause its containers to crack. She advised to mix your beeswax with coconut oil. So I did.

I didn’t have to worry TOO much about my container cracking, because I was going to use this flat of mason jars (for canning fish – can you tell by that very shocked looking salmon on the side of the box?) that I picked up at a garage sale. For one dollar.

Garage sales are so great.

I also love that these used to have Plum jam in them. Not Plumb – as someone noticed and hastily scratched out.

Beeswax Candles

2013-10-14 23:07:59

Make these fantastic (and much healthier) candles to burn in your home! A great (and inexpensive gift!)

Using my very official “wick holders”, I prepped the jars. This is as easy as it looks.

Here comes the not-so-easy part. I thought that beeswax would just crumble nicely and get chucked into my wax-melting pot. Pfffft….

No. It hated me.

After using a knife – a brief moment of weakness where I tried to nuke it in the microwave (but then I got nervous and stopped) – and trying to hit it with a tenderizer, I got out this scraper thing (so not quite a chisel) and my rubber mallet.

And I hammered on that wax until it was in little chunks. It sounded like I was renovating my kitchen.

I bought this wax-melting pot (again – affiliate link!), only because you don’t want to do this in your own pots. They will get destroyed.

Wax should be melted over a double-boiler. And while I was fashioning that up, I realized, “I could have just bought a pot at the thrift store and used it for this.”

So consider that option as well. You really just need a pot to fit on top of another pot, and then you can get to work on wrecking that pot with melted wax.

The wax will take a while to melt, but once it has, add your coconut oil to the mixture. Even after it’s a beautiful amber liquid (remember – it’s HOT, and despite what Ricky Martin led us to believe, hot wax does NOT feel good on your skin) – you should bring it up to a fairly hot temperature. Most candle-making blurbs on the internet suggested between 150-165 degrees.

I watched the thermometer for a while, and when it got to 120, I called it good. Maybe this is a candle-making sin – I don’t know – but they turned out great in my opinion, and I was getting tired of staring at melted wax that just wasn’t getting any more melt-ier.

Secure the wick with a tiny bit of wax, leaving the “holder pencil” in place.

Then, pour the rest in. You will be able to see it slowly cooling, and turning into a lovely ivory coloured wax.

Leave the candles to sit overnight, and then trim the wicks to 1/4″. You can decorate them with a bit of baker’s twine.

Or do what I did, and put a snap lid onto the jar. I thought it was an adorable little gift for Fall (considering that everybody is making/gifting preserves and other canned goods).

Plus, the lid makes it easy to tote these candles around (or to put them away). Nothing will gouge or land onto the beeswax.

A pound of beeswax (plus a half cup of coconut oil) yielded me four half-pint mason jar candles. And I’ve only got one left!

We’ve already gifted three of them!

This is definitely just the beginning of my experiences with candle-making. I will have to experiment with colours and essential oils (the burning of oils being a contested subject on the internet right now) – and I look forward to sharing each of these little waxy adventures with you!

Maybe I’ll even make a friendship candle! You don’t want to miss that. Subscribe!

WelcomeI'm Tara. This is a space for me to share my "makes" as well as my messes. I love beautiful things, funny people, and a good cup of tea. If I can drag my children into my creative ventures, I will. If they haven't inherited craftiness, they'll learn it!

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64 comments

October 15, 2013

Kelly @ A Swell Place to Dwell

Well you know, if that box of jars was standing on its edge and was perfectly straight then it would be plumb 🙂 And friendship candles, I am right there with you…I kept that fad in business for a while. Thanks for the ‘recipe’ – pinning!Kelly @ A Swell Place to Dwell recently posted…The Week’s End – October 13, 2013

Tara

I tried to come up with some sort of “plumb” pun… but couldn’t! I need your wit! I’m so glad that I’m not the only “friendship candle collector”. Maybe I should bring those puppies back! (And thanks for the pin, lady – always appreciated!)

Tara

terry

I have never heard of the friendship candles, but love the idea. These are super cute with the baker’s twine (where did you find it?) and the canning lid.terry recently posted…Healthier Inner Dialogue – Habits

Tara

Terry – wha….!??!?! You don’t know about friendship candles!?!? I need to make you one and send it to you. I swear, you will get a thrill when you see a tiny sliver of a silver charm peeking out of the wax. I can’t tell you how many times I burned myself trying to fish a little heart out of burning hot wax.

The baker’s twine is from Michaels (in Canada!) – it’s in the scrapbooking section. 🙂

Bronwyn MayB

Tara

Casey @ Waffling

omg my friends and I used to shop at the same stores! haha I also recall a friend once walking an hour to a store that sold beeswax candles for $20 each! I never thought about my candles and their chemicals before- very good to know!

Tara

Linda @ Mason Jar Crafts Love

Tara, my friend, I love, love, love your beeswax candles — even if the beeswax hates you! I really need to make my own candles too. I really do love them. But I’ll probably be a little less crunchy and add those essential oils!!!

Tara

I’m so glad you love them! It means a lot to have the Queen of Mason Jars admire one of my crafts! Tell me if you use the essential oils. I’m dying to try it. (Also, I read that putting a few drops of the oil on top of the candle acts in very much the same way!)

Kelli

Tara

Steph

This is great! I’ve actually had it in my head to make candles for everyone for Christmas. I used to make candles years ago and am looking to get back into it. I’ve never used beeswax so this will be very helpful. Thanks!Steph recently posted…Giving thanks

Dani @ lifeovereasy

Tara

Time With Thea

Wow! Love this project. Also love your writing style and delightful sense of humour. I think the salmon on the side of the box will be OK once he sees how amazing your candles are. ~TheaTime With Thea recently posted…My Fall Vignette

Mel

First,y love candles, that is a very lovely gif idea, but I’m trying to picture how they got 12 year old girls parents to buy candles that they had to fish charms out of the melted wax….that is a marketing genius right there, now I wish I had a childhood of wax burned hands full if charms memory!

Tara

Oh, not only did they get us to buy candles with super-hot metal charms in them – we LOVED them! We squealed over them. We burned candles incessantly. I remember – at one point – having a whole dresser-top full of candles.

It was like a seance. But a purply-blue one with $200 worth of candles. 🙂

Shauna @ Satori Design for Living

Such a great gift idea! I made candles quite a few years ago and they didn’t turn out the best. Perhaps I’ll have better luck with your process!Shauna @ Satori Design for Living recently posted…Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Chips & Pecans

Tara

Sheila @sZinteriors

Great tutorial, and one I’ll be pinning! I love beeswax candles, and have only ever made the ones you roll with flat sheets of honeycomb beeswax – can’t wait to give this a try! I laughed at your photo of the canning jar box – I happen to have quite a few boxes that look like that, because canning fish is one of the things I do with my Dad! Thanks for sharing your tutorial!!!Sheila @sZinteriors recently posted…DIY: A Pine Bookcase Gets Hollywood Glammed!

Tara

Thank you so much for the pin, Sheila! I made the roll-up beeswax ones too (back in my candle-obsessed days). I much prefer these ones (especially as the honeycomb got all wilted and melty when I burned them).

I love that you have the same canning jars. The garage sale I visited had about 6 flats and I only bought one. Really… for $6… I should have bought them all!

Tara

Amy of while wearing heels

Those look so pretty. I love how they dried pure white. What a fun project and a great gift idea. And, I loved that you used a princess pencil as your wick holder.Amy of while wearing heels recently posted…It Exists

Tara

dee

Do you know how long the beeswax will burn? My son is having a rustic/vintage wedding. I found little tin tart tins that I thought about putting votive candles in but they will not fit all the way down in the tin. So…why not make my own candles! But I am wondering how long these will burn since the tins are so small.

Tara

Dee – I just did some research, and it looks like beeswax is supposed to burn LONGER than paraffin candles. But, the secret is also in the wick size. For tealights or votives, use a thinner cotton wick. I’m sure you can find some at a craft store or on Amazon. I’ve read that some people have beeswax tealights that last around 6 hours – I imagine that votives would burn longer.

Karen@NourishWithKaren

Inspire Me Heather

Woah, this a KEEPER Tara. I have a beehive and um, don’t do anything with the wax… silly me!! I’ll be making some candles now (thank you!) just have to wait until late Spring to go into the hive.Inspire Me Heather recently posted…{stories of a house} painting the front door

Marilyn

Heather

These look wonderful, I would love to make these Antique teacups candles and gift them for christmas.
I was looking for recipe to make a healthy candle. I have a few questions,
1. Do you think the wax will be too hot and crack teacups?
2. What would be the best way to add a scent?

Tara

I think that you would have to consider the thickness of the teacup. Some are VERY fragile, and that might make me nervous. Adding the coconut oil lowers the melting point of the beeswax, which would help out immensely.

As for adding scent, I’ve just recently experimented with adding essential oils to beeswax candles. It works, but you have to consider the original scent of beeswax (which is very sweet and pungent). I used a vanilla blend, and it turned out very nicely. Add about 10 drops of essential oil to the melted mixture prior to pouring your candles.

If you create these teacup candles, I’d love to see your finished product! I think that they’d make fabulous gifts!

Betty

Tara

Betty, I’m not sure. I’ve only bought my wax from a nearby Honeybee center. I use pure beeswax… I think that if you know how to harvest it from the hives safely, it must be the same product that I purchase!

carol

Kristina & Millie

ohhh i love beeswax candles! I don’t like the ones with the heavy perfume and these have a lovely warm scent just as they are! Thanks for sharing the awesome tute with us at Snickerdoodle!Kristina & Millie recently posted…Black and White Rectangle Granny

Tara

Theresa @DearCreatives

I’ve been wanting to make candles for ever! I love how easy you made this look. On my fall to do list. Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party! Hope to see you again soon. PInned & shared.Theresa @DearCreatives recently posted…Blogging Linky Party: Inspiration Spotlight #Linkup 156

Kayla

Tara

Hi Kayla! A pound of wax yielded me four half-pint mason jar candles. They’re fairly shallow and usually for relish or fish canning. I’ve used ramekins as well (things that can handle the heat). Let me know how it turns out for you! I’d love to see pictures!